Mölnlycke Mepilex Border Sacrum Ag — Silver Sulphate, Safetac Silicone, Antimicrobial in 30 Minutes, 2 Sizes

Silver sulphate antimicrobial. Safetac soft silicone adhesion — the original less-pain contact layer. Superabsorbent fiber layer for high-exudate sacral wounds. Inactivates bacteria and fungi within 30 minutes with sustained effect up to 7 days. Mölnlycke Mepilex Border Sacrum Ag is a four-layer, all-in-one antimicrobial bordered foam dressing specifically shaped and engineered for medium-to-high exuding wounds in the sacral area — the highest-risk anatomical location for pressure injury development in bed-bound and critically ill patients. The sacral contour shape conforms to sacrococcygeal anatomy where standard square or rectangular dressings consistently fail due to the curved multi-plane surface and high mechanical stress from repositioning. The silver sulphate contained within the polyurethane foam pad creates a broad-spectrum antimicrobial environment directly at the wound surface, inactivating bacteria and fungi within 30 minutes and maintaining sustained antimicrobial activity for up to 7 days. Mölnlycke's proprietary Safetac silicone adhesive — the original soft silicone wound contact technology — ensures the dressing adheres to periwound skin without bonding to the wound bed, lifting and repositioning without stripping epidermal cells or causing the pain associated with conventional adhesive foam dressings. Two sizes: 7.2" x 7.2" (382090) and 9.2" x 9.2" (382490).

✔ Silver Sulphate with Activated Carbon — Antimicrobial & Odor Reduction    ✔ Inactivates Pathogens Within 30 Minutes — Sustained 7-Day Activity    ✔ Safetac Soft Silicone — The Original Less-Pain Contact Layer    ✔ Superabsorbent Fiber Layer — Handles Medium-to-High Exudate    ✔ Sacral Shape — Conforms to Sacrococcygeal Anatomy    ✔ Lift & Reposition Without Skin Damage    ✔ Latex-Free

Product Details & Available Sizes

Indicated For

• Medium-to-high exuding sacral pressure injuries — Stage II through Stage IV
• Infected sacral wounds — used as part of a treatment regimen under qualified healthcare professional supervision
• Sacral wounds at high risk of infection or re-infection
• Traumatic wounds in the sacral region
• Surgical excision wounds in the sacral area — including pilonidal cyst excision
• Secondary healing (healing by secondary intent) wounds in the sacral area
• Sacral wounds with odor that requires management
• Wounds requiring use under compression bandaging — Mepilex Border Sacrum Ag is compatible with compression

Contraindications: Not for use on third-degree burns. Do not use on patients with known sensitivity to silver or any dressing component. For infected wounds, use as part of a comprehensive clinical treatment protocol — antimicrobial dressings do not replace systemic antibiotic therapy for clinically infected wounds requiring it.

The Four-Layer Construction — Why Each Layer Matters

Layer 1 — Safetac Soft Silicone Wound Contact Layer: Safetac is Mölnlycke's proprietary soft silicone adhesive technology and the foundation of the entire Mepilex dressing line. Unlike conventional adhesives — which bond chemically to both skin and wound tissue and must be physically separated from the tissue surface at dressing change — Safetac uses a soft, low-tack silicone that adheres through gentle surface contact to dry, intact periwound skin only. The silicone does not bond to the moist wound bed surface. When the dressing is lifted at change, the Safetac layer releases cleanly from the periwound skin without stripping epidermal cells, without tearing fragile tissue, and without triggering the pain response that conventional adhesive dressing changes routinely cause.

Safetac also seals the wound edges — the silicone layer makes full contact with the periwound skin around the entire dressing perimeter, preventing exudate from migrating laterally under the dressing and onto the surrounding skin. This edge seal is the primary mechanism by which Mepilex Border Sacrum Ag prevents maceration: exudate is absorbed vertically upward through the dressing layers rather than spreading outward to the skin surface. The Safetac layer can also be lifted and repositioned during application without losing adhesion — useful when positioning over the contoured sacral anatomy where first-attempt placement may require minor adjustment.

Layer 2 — Silver Sulphate Polyurethane Foam with Activated Carbon: The absorbent foam pad contains silver sulphate and is colored by activated carbon. Silver sulphate is a sparingly soluble silver salt that releases silver ions gradually in the presence of wound fluid — providing sustained antimicrobial activity rather than the rapid burst and rapid depletion seen with highly soluble silver salts. Silver ions released within the foam pad create a broad-spectrum antimicrobial environment that inactivates bacteria and fungi, as demonstrated in vitro. The activated carbon component helps trap and neutralize volatile compounds responsible for wound odor — an important quality-of-life factor for patients with infected or heavily exudating sacral pressure injuries.

Layer 3 — Superabsorbent Fiber Layer: Sacral pressure injuries are frequently among the highest-exudate wounds encountered in wound care — the combination of wound size, wound depth, tissue involvement, and bacterial load produces drainage volumes that overwhelm standard foam dressings. The superabsorbent fiber layer above the foam pad provides the additional fluid-locking capacity needed to handle medium-to-high exudate volumes without leakage to the periwound skin. The superabsorbent fibers lock fluid away in a gel structure — it cannot be released back to the wound surface under pressure from repositioning or body weight, which is the mechanism by which standard foam dressings allow maceration when a patient is repositioned onto the dressing.

Layer 4 — Nonwoven Breathable Waterproof Film: The outer film provides a complete bacterial barrier and waterproof protection throughout the wear period — the wound is protected from external contamination including fecal contamination, which is a primary infection risk at the sacral site. The film is vapor-permeable, allowing moisture vapor to escape outward and preventing excessive moisture buildup under the dressing. The nonwoven construction is flexible and soft against clothing and bedding.

Silver Sulphate vs. Ionic Silver Dressings — The Clinical Distinction

Not all silver wound dressings deliver silver the same way. The silver agent, its concentration, its solubility, and the mechanism by which it releases ions into the wound environment all affect both the speed and duration of antimicrobial activity and the potential for cytotoxicity to healing tissue. Mepilex Border Sacrum Ag uses silver sulphate — a sparingly soluble silver salt with a specific clinical profile worth understanding when selecting a silver dressing:

• Rapid onset: Despite being sparingly soluble, silver sulphate releases silver ions quickly enough on contact with wound fluid to inactivate wound-relevant pathogens within 30 minutes — clinically meaningful for infected wounds where fast reduction of bacterial load is a priority
• Sustained release: Because silver sulphate is sparingly rather than highly soluble, it does not deplete rapidly. The sustained release mechanism maintains effective silver ion concentrations at the wound surface throughout the 7-day wear period — unlike highly soluble silver salts that can exhaust their silver load within the first 24–48 hours
• Broad spectrum: Silver ions from silver sulphate inactivate a wide range of wound-relevant bacteria including MRSA, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, E. coli, and fungi — the same broad-spectrum activity seen with other silver dressing technologies
• Odor co-management: The activated carbon in the same foam layer provides a secondary mechanism for managing the wound odor that accompanies infected and heavily colonized sacral wounds — a feature absent from most silver foam dressings

Safetac — Why It Matters Specifically for Sacral Wounds

The sacral area presents unique challenges for adhesive wound dressings that no other wound location matches in combination: near-constant pressure from body weight in supine patients, high-friction mechanical stress from repositioning, moisture from perspiration and incontinence, and frequent contamination risk from the perineal area. Conventional adhesive foam dressings fail at this location for predictable reasons — the adhesive bonds to macerated or moisture-compromised periwound skin, and each dressing change strips tissue from a skin surface that is already under stress. In patients with fragile skin, sacral pressure injury, and incontinence — a very common clinical combination — conventional adhesive dressing changes can cause visible skin tearing, bleeding, and significant pain that disrupts the patient and the caregiver relationship.

Safetac's soft silicone mechanism is specifically suited to this clinical reality. Because it bonds through surface contact rather than chemical adhesion, it maintains secure hold on intact periwound skin while releasing completely from moisture-compromised, macerated, or fragile skin that would be damaged by conventional adhesives. Patients consistently report significantly less pain at Mepilex dressing changes compared to conventional adhesive foam dressings. Caregivers report faster, simpler dressing changes with less patient distress. And the wound surface — which must not be disturbed by dressing trauma if healing is to proceed — is left intact at each change rather than being mechanically disrupted.

Choosing the Right Size

• 382090 — 7.2" x 7.2" (18 x 18 cm): The smaller sacral size — appropriate for Stage II sacral pressure injuries of moderate dimension, early-stage sacral wounds, and patients with smaller sacral anatomy. The wound pad should overlap the wound margins by at least 2 cm (approximately ¾") on all sides — this size is appropriate for wounds up to approximately 10–11 cm (4") at their widest dimension.
• 382490 — 9.2" x 9.2" (23 x 23 cm): The larger sacral size — for Stage III–IV sacral pressure injuries, extensive sacral wounds, and larger patient anatomy where the 7.2" size would not provide adequate margin overlap. Appropriate for wounds up to approximately 15 cm (6") at their widest dimension.

Not sure which size is right? Call 1-866-218-0902 — Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm EST

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Questions about Mepilex Border Sacrum Ag or any of our antimicrobial wound dressings? Call 1-866-218-0902 — our team is ready to help.